‘Alligator Man' dies at burn center

Published: Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:33 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:33 a.m.

HOUMA — Easton DeHart, outdoorsman and fabled remover of nuisance alligators from driveways and yards in Terrebonne Parish, died at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday at the Baton Rouge Medical Center while undergoing treatment for burns suffered during a Feb. 18 hunting trip.

“The whole family is heartbroken,” said son-in-law Bobby Samanie III.

Loved ones had hovered near his burn center room around the clock, hoping that sheer will might help him pull through, as he lay in an induced coma while doctors and nurses tended to the second-degree burns that covered 10 percent of his body.

It was a heart attack that finally claimed him, his family said, affirming fears that DeHart's already-troubled heart wouldn't withstand the stress of his ordeal.

DeHart, 76, was injured as he and two friends hunted rabbits. They set fires to route the wildlife out of the brush in the remote, marshy area, not far from DeHart's camp near Bayou Penchant. The marsh buggy they were on got stuck in mud, and the men were trapped as the roaring fire swept over them.

DeHart, who was not wearing a jacket and so could not cover his face and other exposed areas of his body, got the brunt of the flames. He was airlifted to the burn unit. His hunting companions escaped serious injury.

At the Burn Center, doctors closely monitored DeHart's heart, which had in the past undergone triple-bypass surgery.

DeHart had served for about eight years as Terrebonne's nuisance alligator catcher, the man people called when the reptiles ended up near homes, under cars and in children's play areas. Sometimes they nest in places close to people, which is when they can pose the greatest danger.

When his cell phone would ring DeHart answered with a courteous greeting of “Alligator man,” and wasted no time tending to the problem.

DeHart removed nuisance alligators as a public service, he said, although he would shoot some of the larger ones for hides or meat. He was authorized by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to perform the removals.

“I kill one out of 10 calls,” he said in a 2009 interview. “It depends on the circumstances.”

Loved ones said he was attuned to the wild world around him and was most at home in and around his camp, where he sometimes hosted other men for hunts and for fishing.

He was also a long-time trapper.

“He was a wonderful human being, a good friend and a good man,” Samanie said. “He was a true Cajun man.”

Senior Staff Writer John DeSantis can be reached at 850-1150 or john.desantis@dailycomet.com.

<p>HOUMA — Easton DeHart, outdoorsman and fabled remover of nuisance alligators from driveways and yards in Terrebonne Parish, died at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday at the Baton Rouge Medical Center while undergoing treatment for burns suffered during a Feb. 18 hunting trip.</p><p>“The whole family is heartbroken,” said son-in-law Bobby Samanie III.</p><p>Loved ones had hovered near his burn center room around the clock, hoping that sheer will might help him pull through, as he lay in an induced coma while doctors and nurses tended to the second-degree burns that covered 10 percent of his body.</p><p>It was a heart attack that finally claimed him, his family said, affirming fears that DeHart's already-troubled heart wouldn't withstand the stress of his ordeal.</p><p>DeHart, 76, was injured as he and two friends hunted rabbits. They set fires to route the wildlife out of the brush in the remote, marshy area, not far from DeHart's camp near Bayou Penchant. The marsh buggy they were on got stuck in mud, and the men were trapped as the roaring fire swept over them. </p><p>DeHart, who was not wearing a jacket and so could not cover his face and other exposed areas of his body, got the brunt of the flames. He was airlifted to the burn unit. His hunting companions escaped serious injury.</p><p>At the Burn Center, doctors closely monitored DeHart's heart, which had in the past undergone triple-bypass surgery. </p><p>DeHart had served for about eight years as Terrebonne's nuisance alligator catcher, the man people called when the reptiles ended up near homes, under cars and in children's play areas. Sometimes they nest in places close to people, which is when they can pose the greatest danger.</p><p>When his cell phone would ring DeHart answered with a courteous greeting of “Alligator man,” and wasted no time tending to the problem.</p><p>DeHart removed nuisance alligators as a public service, he said, although he would shoot some of the larger ones for hides or meat. He was authorized by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to perform the removals.</p><p>“I kill one out of 10 calls,” he said in a 2009 interview. “It depends on the circumstances.”</p><p>Loved ones said he was attuned to the wild world around him and was most at home in and around his camp, where he sometimes hosted other men for hunts and for fishing.</p><p>He was also a long-time trapper.</p><p>“He was a wonderful human being, a good friend and a good man,” Samanie said. “He was a true Cajun man.”</p><p>Senior Staff Writer John DeSantis can be reached at 850-1150 or john.desantis@dailycomet.com.</p>